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Yik Yak
'Yik Yak' Yik Yak is the newest, rising app in social media. The app is made for most Apple and Android products. Yik Yak is made like the social media site twitter, however, it is anonymous. The app was made for college students allowing them to connect with each other and find out what was happening all over the college campus. While using the app, you are able to connect with locals using the app in a 1.5 mile radius. 'Function' In order to use Yik Yak, one has to download it onto their phone or any product that is able to use apps. Before downloading Yik Yak,one will be asked to verify if they are 17 and older. After the app is downloaded, after opening it they will be ask if the app is allowed to use the users current location. It is necessary to confirm this, if you do not want to allow the app to use the location then one will not be able to use it. "Getting Yaks" will appear on the screen, this goes to show that the app is loading the anonymous feed. Once it loads, everyone's Yak'ss will show. On thevery bottom (Apple products), or the very top (Android products), there are four different categories. The categories are called "Home", "Peak", "Me", and "More". On the "Home" page is where the feed for the college campus. Two tabs for "New", and "Hot" are located at the top of the feed. These two things allow users to see newest posts and the most "upped" posts. In the top left hand corner (iPhone), the user will see a number. This number is the users "Yakarma". Yakarma is points based off how many posts the user made, how many ups they get, and the user's replies. The more active a user is, the more yakarma. In the top right hand corner (iPhone) there is a square with a pencil in it. This allows users to create a yak. User's can use up to 200 characters in one post. In the Peak category, users have access to other college campus's. Users are only allowed to read the posts. If a user is not in the area, they do not have access to replying, upping, or downing a post. On the "Me" category, there are three tabs. One for "My Yaks", "My Replies", and "My Top Yaks". In the "My Yaks" tab, one can see all the yaks they have ever posted on Yik Yak. For "My Replies", the user can see all the replies made on Yaks. "My Top Yaks", holds all the Yaks that have made it to the "Hot" page. Above those three tabs is a teal circle on a map, this is the users current location. The "More" category allows those too see "Top Yaks". These Yaks are from all colleges. It consists of three tabs below it that say "All Time Greatest Yaks", "Top Yaks In My Area", and "Other Top Yaks". Below those three categories is another heading that says "Other". Other has multiple tabs that are based on the app. It consists of "Rules and Info", "Share Yik Yak", "Rate Yik Yak", "Contact Us", "Follow Us On Twitter", "Like Us On Facebook", and "Follow Us On Instagram". All of these things are convenient for users and the app itself. It gives users access on the rules, support, and the apps other social media pages. History Yik Yak is the newest, most elusive social media app that seems to be found on more and more phones across the country each and every day. It is often compared to twitter. Yik Yak allows users to post things about their communi ty anonymously with a limited number of characters allowed per yak. Yik Yak was founded by Furman University graduates Tyler Drolls and Brooks Buffington. They launched the app to both apple and android users in 2013. By April of 2014, they had secured a $1.5 funding budget from the multiple investors they hooked. It quickly became popular among both high school and college campuses; however, seeing how the app was designed for college campuses and issues that have arose in high schools, Droll and Buffington have tailored the app so that users couldonly use it in the college setting. Droll and Buffington were able to block approximately 85% of the United States' high schools in effort to reduce the amount of bullying and parent displeasure. Although much controversy surrounds the gossip app, Yik Yak was able to make a whopping $10 million which they plan to use in order to better the app's features, teams, and reach a larger demographic. They already reach out to about 250 colleges throughout the country. However they hope to reach out internationally with the help of investors according to Kolodny in her article "Yik Yak Raises $10 Million To Move Beyond Being A Gossip Site". They also plan to add more staff and up their game with other competing apps such as, Whisper, by frequently updating it to better fit the demands of the general public. 'Financial Aspect' On June 30, 2014, Yik Yak proudly announced their four investors who had faith in their business; Tim Draper-founder and manager director, Renren Liane Holdings- Chinese social network company, Azure Capital Partners- venture capital firm, and DCM- venture firm for inspiring entrepreneurs. An interest in investments sparked after the app gained popularity. On April 22, 2014 another venture took place and an additional two investors, Atlanta Ventures and Vaizra Investments, joined in on investments. In just 3 months, all six investors totaled out to raise 10 million dollars for the app. Co-founder Tyler Droll clearly states their plans for using their investments: ::: '' “Our goal with Yik Yak was to create an open forum for mobile users to easily communicate, or Yak with one another, providing a virtual bulletin board of sorts for community engagement within a specific location," said Droll, CEO of Yik Yak. "This funding will not only give us the opportunity to bring our platform to more locations, but it will also help '' ::: generate more features and functionalities that connect users and encourage free expression, humorous or cause-related engagement or community-building through the app." After all, the official Yik Yak website shows their investments being put to use by adding a “tour” tab. The “tour” tab provides information about tours being planned along the west coast. Even showing the specific days and universities they are visiting in their 45ft bus. What is also provided on their website is a “Jobs” tab where they are seeking employment in areas such as; Systems Engineering, Data Scientist, and Software Engineering. These jobs will help with generating more advanced features and functionality for the app as Droll said was their goal with the investments. 'Pros' Yik-Yak gives everyone a “voice” so they can share their thoughts and views on life and not be judged for it. It also allows college students to express themselves in ways that they never would have before; when there was no anonymity. COO of Yik-Yak, Brooks Buffington emphasized this app is, “Providing an outlet for individuals from all walks of life to communicate and interact authentically is our mission.” Yik Yak is the new and upcoming social media that will let anyone share their voice. 'Cons' ' ' Yik-Yak is “designed for people in college or older.” The app began to quickly cause conflicts as high and middle school students started using it incorrectly. This led to cyber bullying cases as well as bombing and school shooting threats being made through the app. As these threats showed up more and more, the founders of the app added a geo-fencing feature that will detect where the app user is relative to a high or middle school. If they are on the school grounds the app will disable usage. 'Conclusion' Yik Yak is the newest, rising app in social media. The app is made for Apple and Android products. It also is preferred to be used by college students.. Yik Yak is an anonymous app and it allows you to see what locals are posting from a 1.5 mile radius. Yik Yak was found by two graduates from Furman University named Tyler Drolls and Brooks Buffington. The app was launched in 2013. Bullying issues arose in high schools due to the app so the creators blocked approximately 85% of the high schools in the United States. Yik Yak gained two investors on April 22, 2014, and then proceeded to gain four more on June 30, 2014. Together they all raised 10 million dollars for the app. They will soon be touring the west coast and visiting universities. They have also been offering jobs to those who are seeking employment. The main con for using Yik Yak was the development of cyber bullying. Threats for bombing and shootings were made in high schools so Yik Yak made sure they were banned from having all access to the app. The main pro for using Yik Yak is the fact that it allows everyone to have a voice so that they can share their thoughts and views on life without being judged. Yik Yak can be a fun and entertaining app. It is an app that allows you to connect with people and voice your opinions and daily activities. It allows you to stay connected locally and find out what is happening on your campus.